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Annual Meeting slated for Oct. 7-10

The State Bar’s 77th Annual Meeting will be held Oct. 7-10 in Monterey, where participants can combine four days of low-cost MCLE courses with the charms of one of California’s favorite coastal cities. This year’s speakers include attorney and author Scott Turow, who will sign his latest book, the Brown sisters, plaintiffs in the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision, and NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams.

Attendees are encouraged to register early — save $100 by signing up before Sept. 7 — to reserve a spot in the MCLE courses they wish to take. Online registration will be available in mid-June at calbar.ca.gov/annual meeting.

Participants can earn up to 20 hours of MCLE credit for the price of the $325 pre-registration fee. Attorneys whose last names begin with N-Z (MCLE compliance group 3) have a Feb. 1, 2005, deadline for completion of 25 hours of continuing education.

The convention will divide its events among the Portola Plaza Monterey Bay (formerly the Doubletree Hotel), the Monterey Conference Center, the Monterey Marriott and the Hyatt Regency.

The meeting kicks off with an informal opening reception Thursday evening. The president’s reception will be held the following evening at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where visitors can view the new shark exhibit that opened earlier this year.

The convention also features an exhibit hall with more than 100 vendors, an internet cafe and the Bench and Bar Art exhibit. Saturday events include a breakfast address by Tom Greene, chief of the attorney general’s public rights division, and the annual dinner dance.

The Annual Meeting Preview, containing a complete listing of continuing education programs, registration and housing information and descriptions of other events, was mailed last month to all section members and attorneys who have attended the convention during the past five years.

Hotel reservations may be made online this year.

Full details about the Annual Meeting are on the State Bar's Web site.

Positions open on 2005 JNE Commission

Active members of the State Bar, former members of the judiciary, and members of the public who are interested in volunteering to serve on the 2005 Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) may now apply for an appointment.

The JNE Commission, established by Government Code §12011.5, evaluates all candidates who are under consideration for a judicial appointment by the governor. It is composed of attorneys and public members (those who are not lawyers or who are not admitted to practice in California) who represent a broad cross-section of California’s diverse legal profession and general population.

Appointed by the State Bar Board of Governors, the volunteer commission thoroughly investigates candidates for judicial appointment while maintaining a code of strict confidentiality. Commissioners serve terms of approximately one year and may serve up to three consecutive terms.

The application form, as well as information on the commission, qualifications and time commitment, is available from the Web site at calbar.ca.gov (select links to Attorney Resources/Committees and Commissions/Other Entity Appointments) or from the Appointments Office, State Bar of California, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105-1639; 415-538-2299.

The application deadline is July 15. The board of governors will make the appointments at its September meeting and terms begin Feb. 1.

Los Angeles fee arb training set for July 22

Recent developments in fee arbitration will be discussed at a training program in Los Angeles sponsored by the State Bar’s Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration. The free training offers 2.75 hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of legal ethics and 1.75 hours of general credit, and is open to State Bar and Los Angeles County fee arbitrators and lay people and lawyers interested in joining the program.

Among the topics for discussion are how to write an enforceable award, conflicts of interest, disclosure requirements and how to control the proceeding.

The training will be held July 22, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, 261 S. Figueroa St., #300. To reserve a space, contact Gemma George, 213-896-6441. Parking is available at a rate of $8.

For additional information, call Jill Sperber, 415-538-2023.

CYLA schedules job forum

California Young Lawyers Association, in conjunction with the American Bar Association’s Career Resource Center, will host a jobs forum Oct. 23 at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Santa Monica.

The day-long symposium — Suggestions for Defining your Careers: Making the Right Moves Today and Tomorrow — will feature individual resume consultations (on a first come-first served basis), plenary sessions about career advancement and networking opportunities with experts in the field.

Registration information will be available at www.calbar.ca.gov/cyla after July 30.

New rule and pamphlet for children’s counsel

A new rule of court specifying the role and responsibilities of children’s counsel in delinquency proceedings went into effect July 1. Rule 1479 clarifies that a child’s counsel must (1) defend the child against allegations in any petition filed and (2) advocate, within the framework of the delinquency proceedings, that the child receive care, treatment and guidance consistent with his or her best interest.

The State Bar and the Administrative Office of the Courts has developed a pamphlet to provide juvenile court defense attorneys with both guidance on fulfilling the requirements of rule 1479 and suggestions for effective advocacy beyond what is mandated by law. The pamphlet is designed to provide information and guidance on what an attorney can and should do to help the child client in order to serve the needs of this population and to achieve the goal of rehabilitation.

The pamphlet will be available this month by contacting the AOC Center for Families, Children & the Courts at 415-865-7739 or cfcc@jud.ca.gov.

Toll-free number to find a lawyer referral service

The State Bar has activated a toll-free telephone information system to assist callers in locating the nearest lawyer referral service. The number takes callers to a voicemail tree where they can select a county from an alphabetized list to find a service.

The toll-free number for callers in California is 1-866-442-2529 or 1-866-44CALAW. Callers outside California should call 415-538-2250.

The phone service is for use by clients, lawyers, agencies, community-based organizations, the courts and others.

Display your artistic talent

Lawyers and judges who draw, sculpt, work in ceramics or photography are invited to participate in the 52nd Annual Meeting Bench and Bar Art Exhibit. The artwork will be displayed in the Steinbeck Lobby at the Monterey Convention Center, Oct. 7-10.

Awards will be given in the following categories — oils and acrylics, portraits and figures, watercolors, prints, drawings, mixed media, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Art Show rules and entry blanks can be downloaded at calbar.ca.gov/archive/calbar/annualmeeting, or obtained by calling Cheryl Morgan at 415-538-2210.

All entries must be submitted by Aug. 30.

Opt out of list sales

Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the State Bar sells to outside entities may do so by e-mailing a request to memrec@calbar.ca.gov. Include your bar number.

The bar has a policy under which members’ names are sold to outside entities that meet certain criteria. The restricted lists include, among others, MCLE providers, the Foundation of the State Bar, local bars and bar-approved insurance providers.

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